TWIKE 4 - THE PROTOTYPE

Europe's most innovative light electric vehicle has not been built without learning something since 1995. The X-Prize in 2010 was the occasion for us to set everything to zero and completely reinvent the TWIKE. With the help of experienced suspension experts, we developed a vehicle whose driving dynamics are located between the motorbike and the car and which also has enormous cornering stability. Our radical new thinking was also reflected in the joystick steering, which - in contrast to the TWIKE 3 - can be operated with the left, right or both hands.

When we flew to the USA in June 2010, we already had the greater part of our X-Prize adventure behind us.

Learn more about the development of the TWIKE 4 in our picture galleries:

DEVELOPMENT - ROAD TEST - ROLL OUT

TWIKE 4 - THE X-PRIZE

When Charles Lindbergh was the first to fly across the Atlantic in 1927, he did so to win the Orteig Prize, which had been awarded for this achievement since 1919. Inspired by this, the X-Prize Foundation has been awarding highly remunerative prizes since 1995 to encourage technical and scientific excellence.

In 2007, the organization awarded the Automotive X-Prize. The aim was to design an energy-efficient vehicle suitable for everyday use that would also be suitable for series production. 136 teams from all over the world applied. The first pre-selection took place in October 2009. The field of participants was reduced to 43.

Among them we were the only German team with the new design TW4XP. The cryptic name of our car with the starting number 33 meant: "Threewheeler for X-Prize". Now we simply call it TWIKE 4. Our gallery shows the TWIKE 4 in Washington and Chicago:

Jump over the big pond

KNOCK OUT STAGE - THE PRELIMINARY SELECTION

Then it got serious: In numerous races and technical tests, the vehicles were tested and evaluated for efficiency, range, safety and driving characteristics. Soft factors such as innovation, driving pleasure and the public's desire were also included in the evaluation.

FINAL STAGE

In October 2010, the TW4XP team finished third with a remarkably low fuel consumption of 1.25l/100km. This result is encouraging. But despite all the euphoria: The TWIKE 4 was not good enough for us yet. We wanted to make it even lighter, even more efficient and simply better in many details. That's why we're working on TWIKE 5.

Back in Germany, the TWIKE 4 again set standards.

TWIKE 4 - THE SUCCESSES

Electric mobility is already working today. The 1st WAVE 2011 already showed this. With individual stages of 120 km and daily stages of up to 400 km, the electric vehicles covered far more distance than many normally drive every day. Whether manoeuvrable in city traffic on the Parisian roads or climbable in snow and rain over Swiss Alpine passes: the TWIKE teams were able to make excellent use of the advantages of their relatively small and light vehicles. The challenge of crossing the Grimsel Pass and Furka Pass (2,436 m.a.s.l.) one after the other on 18 September in fog and rain, and the snow-covered Oberalp Pass (2,046 m.a.s.l.) on 19 September (2,046 m.a.s.l.) became a fun experience for TWIKE and TW4XP. Only about a quarter of the participants crossed all three passes on their own bikes.

Find out more:

THE WAVE 2011

The evaluation criteria in this competition were manifold: In addition to range, speed & acceleration, the sympathy factor was also included and the vehicles of more than 2,000 students from different schools visited on the way were evaluated. In Dortmund a delegation of the city examined the innovation factor of the vehicles, in Vienna the luggage compartment was examined and in St. Pölten it was a matter of pushing: Which team was the first to bring its vehicle over the 100 m finish line without engine power?

Team TWIKE 4 won several competitions with 10 out of 10 points and shone with full points at the lap time on the racetrack in Zolder, Belgium, in the criterion innovation and at the parking competition held in Augsburg. Among other things, the TWIKE was pleased about its well-known good efficiency: with 9 out of 10 points, the TWIKE was the most efficient multi-seater vehicle in the competition.